The other day I posted a diary titled: Hancock (Maine) County Sheriff requests Riot Gear for his Deputies and it’s time for a short followup.
Acadia National Park
To recap, Hancock County is the locale for Acadia National Park, the number one tourist destination in Maine. Summer there is magical. The park has fortyfive miles of bike trails — the “carriage trails” — designated as automobile-free, and famous as the best family bicycling destination in the country though the trails were originally designed for horses. Bar Harbor has focused on being a wholesome family destination with a certain je ne sais quoi.
Down East
This region is undeniably “Down East” Maine. Mostly rural with only a few towns. Maine is the most Caucasian state in the US of A, and Down East is consistent with that.
Ellsworth
Ellsworth is the market town. Mount Desert Island does not allow any fast food places or chain stores. There is only one bridge onto The Island and to get there you have to go through Ellsworth, which is where Wal-Mart, Home Depot, McD’s, Burger King, KFC are located. Along with the county jail and the biggest hospital.
The Protests
Last week there were BLM protests in Ellsworth, along with ones in Bar Harbor. Bar Harbor has a nice little town green with a bandstand and people there gathered on the grass before parading through the town.
The protest in Ellsworth attracted 350 people.
The Sheriff
The Hancock County Sheriff is an elected position as are all sheriffs in Maine, and he requested an item on the meeting of the County Commissioners to purchase riot gear for his twenty deputies. Specifically, helmets, gloves, shields and batons.
The Meeting
Maine Public Radio published a news piece on the issue. the County Commissioners met via Zoom, and 60 community members joined the call mostly to oppose the purchase.
Kierra Luu said she doesn’t think it’s necessary.
“We’ve had super peaceful protests and the police in Ellsworth at the protests that I’ve attended have been supportive of our First Amendment rights, and I think that’s what we need in this community. We don’t need riot gear. I think that would only further increase distrust with the police,” she said.
Hancock County Administrator Scott Adkins said he’s gathering the comments that have been received, and that the riot gear request won’t be considered without a serious review.
“Including, and possibly not limited to, a public hearing before the commissioners would allow that,” he said.
Conclusion
The people on the ground in Ellsworth deserve credit for gathering support for the cause. Postponing this small effort to militarize the sheriff’s department was easier I think because of the obvious ridiculousness of have a riot control team in Ellsworth Maine. In a speech, President Obama said there are 18,000 local law enforcement jurisdictions across the USA and each is controlled locally. In addition to protests and organizing, it’s important for all of us to get involved at the local level like the people in Ellsworth are doing.